UN intensifies patrol in two South Sudan hotspots
April 29, 2024 (JUBA) – The peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said additional troops have been deployed and urgent integrated patrols launched in at least two hotspots to prevent a rise in intercommunal violence.
On 26 April, a group of armed youth from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) launched a significant attack on cattle keepers across the border in Kauto payam of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state, resulting in numerous deaths, the abduction of women and children, and theft of hundreds of cattle.
In response, the UN mission said patrols were sent to the affected locations on both sides of the border to assess the situation, help prevent further violence and support efforts by state and local administrators to de-escalate tensions.
There are also reports of rising tension between ethnic groups in Tambura county of Western Equatoria state. About 13,000 people have now sought sanctuary at a temporary UN peacekeeping base, while 4,000 others have arrived at another displacement camp.
UNMISS said it deployed, over the weekend, more 76 peacekeepers to reinforce the base, protect displaced families and boost patrols in the surrounding area.
“Our peacekeeping colleagues in South Sudan are also engaging with political parties and community leaders at the local and national levels to reduce tensions and restore calm”, partly noted a UNMISS statement.
Meanwhile the UN humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, has warned about the impact of recently imposed taxes on the delivery of aid and called on the government to urgently remove them.
She said more than 60,000 people have already been affected after the UN paused life-saving airdrops of food assistance with the number of those affected likely to increase to 145,000 by the end of May, if the measures remain in place.
(ST)